After Glow

Even though I am still coughing I decided to keep my lesson appointment yesterday.  I'm so glad I did even though it wiped me out.

Winter has finally hit Cincinnati and 20 F is just too cold to ride outside so I went to Jodie's barn and rode one of her horses, Bitsy.

Bitsy is an Appendix QH, about 19 years old and a been there done that kinda girl.  She's trained to third level Dressage and very forgiving of rookie mistakes.

To get the most bang for my lesson buck I always go with a "This is what I want to learn/do today" and yesterday was learning 1. How to get a horse long and low with hind quarters engaged and back rising, and 2.  How to teach Rosie to do it.

Jodie said Bitsy was the perfect horse for this as she will be tolerable when I get to the "how to reach Rosie" part.

There is so much that goes into riding Dressage - you want your horse light, so you have to be light.  Light in posting, light in seat...  Do you have any idea how hard it is to keep your calves on a horse to push them forward, but keep your butt muscles as light as marshmallow with no tension while posting?  All the while keeping your heels down, your shoulders back and down, head up,  fingers closed on the reins, and the thumb the highest point (think holding an ice cream cone) on the reins.  oh.. and to breath.  Breathing is important.

To get long and low at the trot the horse has to be forward, very forward into contact, and you need to be doing all the above almost perfectly.  Then you lengthen your reins while keeping the horse moving forward and engaged, the horse is supposed to seek the contact.

Let me tell you, Bitsy made me work for it and I also realized my balance still has room for improvement, but I wasn't horrible - only a couple times where I fell on my "forehand".  I'd stop, apologize to Bitsy, then go back to it.  

In no time I getting very nice long and lows, feeling her power from behind, lifting her shoulders and swinging around the arena.  On the last time around Jodie asked me to really give it all I've got going down the long side so I did and I achieved my first ever extended trot - on any horse.

Then I asked her to fix my canter equitation.  Rosie is teaching me a very bad habit of pushing with my seat, nagging essentially to stay in the gait and I need to nip that in the bud.

Bitsy has the best canter.  Balanced, rocking chair smooth and just there.  Started from the trot, she immediately picked up when I asked and all I could do was smile.  I sat deep, I relaxed, I smiled.

I learned there is a queue difference to keep the canter between English and Western.  In Western all queues are done with the outside leg.  Nothing is ever done with the inside leg.  In English, once you are in the canter and you feel the horse start to slow, or wanting to break to trot you use your inside calf to remind them hold the gait.  Apply calf, and relax.  That whole "relax" thing is often forgotten.

By the end of the lesson I was doing walk/canter transitions by breathing and thinking.  I LOVED IT.

It was one of those lessons and rides where you have an "after glow" long after.

Lesson Monday ~ Moved to Tuesday

Today made lesson 3 on Karaat.  If you remember the first lesson a month ago Jodie kicked my butt right into shape and I walked, albeit cowboy style, away with lots of new things to practice with my girls as well 'mind ride'.   Then my second lesson was a lunge line lesson working on balance and seat last week  

Today I learned all about Dressage terms and Patterns.  I learned both Intro A and B this evening.   Terms like "Track Left at C (or right)" and "Change Rein Working Trot M - K" were really confusing me.   I mean "change rein" ??  Reins are in two hands.. what's there to change!?

Well I learned soon enough - just go on the diagonal.

I did EXTREMELY well with Karaat tonight.  We were round, oh about 98% of the time.  I had issues keeping him forward so a crop held in my hand changed that attitude immediately.

First time I've ever done a REAL 20 meter circle and what that really is.  I have to remember to push Karaat out into the circle with the inside leg and one step on the rail at B and E.

I also took 5 minutes and did walk / trot transitions getting that darn posting thing down right.  Karaat takes such a HUGE stride when he picks up trot that he always knocks me off balance.  You have to be "rising" when you ask for the trot to get the diagonal right immediately.  

Jodie had to remind me to always Trot/Walk/Halt transition, don't Trot/halt transition in this test because it's more advanced. Also she had to warn me to NOT SIT THE TROT AT ALL ~ again that's considered more advanced and I will get lots of points taken away.   Oh.. don't hind or should yield on the diagonals...  *eye roll*

Beyond that I'm glowing as I did far less fighting him into contact, and a lot more riding my ride.  It felt really REALLY REALLY good.. no, wait... GREAT !

I WILL BE SHOWING SUNDAY !!!

Lesson Monday ~ Karaat again

If you remember my last post about riding Karaat   I was doing fairly well toward the end but hands were still a bit messy and LOTS of room for improvement.

I asked Jodie for another lesson and she is always happy to give me one.   This time no pictures as husband had some piano lessons to give and couldn't come with.

Jodie started me out on lunge line without reins, and Karaat in side reins.  I controlled his gait's, speed and contact, and Jodie just kept him from taking off out the door.

We started with some stretching exercises for me; arm windmills, bicycle legs, crunches (yes in the saddle), shoulder stretches (right hand to my left toe/left hand to my right toe) etc.

At the walk we worked my loosing my hips, calves on but relaxed and fluid ankles by sitting deep and on my back pockets, then standing up in the stirrups body just a bit over Karaat's withers.  When I sat back down in the saddle he immediately went round and through.

Jodie then had me move him up into a nice working trot, me rising.  Eye opening not having reins... but more on that later.  We worked on me always picking up the correct diagonal, or immediately recognizing it's incorrect.  Remember I rode Western Pleasure for 10 years and never ever once posted until about 5 years ago.  It does NOT come natural at all.  With-in 5 minutes I had it figured out.. at least I hope so.

What we worked on at the rising trot was controlling my posting, landing lightly and in the middle of the saddle.  This is NOT easy at all.  However, I love Karaat he's extremely forgiving while you figure it out and rewarding when you do.  I was able to consistently get  Karaat round, supple and through.  It's a great to feel that back come up under you and your mount reaching under.  Jodie said I had a HUGE grin, I have to admit I was smiling huge having a blast!

Sitting trot was interesting...  This is where I had a huge revelation about my hands and reins that I never realized until the reins were taken away.  For the most part my hands are steady and not yanking or busy, until I get tired, then they get a mind of their own and start rising.. straight up instead of low and inline with the horses mouth.  Then if I loose my balance I'm bracing against the horses head...   BAD BAD habits!   So because of this I did not canter him and I won't until I stop bracing when I loose my balance.

There will be more no contact or limited contact riding in my immediate future.

We ended the lesson going for a walk around the farm's property and with Jodie giving me permission to RIDE Karaat AT A SHOW for my Intro A and B tests later this month!

Breathless Smiles and Exclamations of WOW !

Words can not explain what my ride was like on Karaat.  Even at it's worst (and starting out it was bad) it was great!

I was really struggling at first as this video shows.  You will also see my diagonal is wrong more times then right.  I can not feel it on Karaat at all, and posting is not second nature to me...




I picked Karaat to ride because when you, the rider, get it right he rewards you immensely.  When you, the rider, get it wrong he will kick your ass until you get it right... and when you're right... there is that whole reward thing that makes the smile huge, the heart and soul sing,  laughter bubbling up and becoming tears...



Because YOU CAN DO THIS... You ARE DOING THIS !!!

Ok.. Rosie is a HUGE horse... Karaat is taller, over 17 hands.  He rides BIGGER for lack of better description then Rosie.  He has suspension and really huge ground covering strides...

I was very proud of myself that I was able to get him round... It wasn't an immediate thing, it took work, LOTS of work...

I worked on posting and getting him forward with my legs, using my seat to push him through and round...

You can really tell when I get tired but I'm not a quitter so on I went until I couldn't go anymore.  You can hear Jodie talking.. I LOVE HER!  Always positive with her remarks and direction.  You'll hear her saying "There! Do you feel that?!"  That's because I ride by feel.  If I can feel the "right" I take note of exactly where all my limbs are, what I'm doing.  Then do it again until I feel the "right".



 I'm very happy with my hands, Jodie even commented how much better they are.  They are now 99% of the time moving with my body, not fighting me or out of control.  You can see where I loose my balance ... it's when my hands go wild!